Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) will start its National Poverty Survey in 21 districts by the end of December to identify more deserving families. BISP Chairperson Farzana Raja told this agency that the programme will benefit five million families by June 2010 and efforts are continuing to reach maximum number of people.

Initially, the pilot project of the poverty survey was conducted in 15 districts and 2.5 million families were identified. She said that Nadra has been directed to complete the verification process of these families to provide them assistance under the programme.

Farzana said that Benazir Smart Card will be issued to the people in the districts where the survey has been completed to make the programme more transparent. She said that workers of 20 post offices have been dismissed on charges of corruption and strict action has been taken against those found involved in embezzlement.

The beneficiaries will also be provided accident and health insurance besides imparting training vocational and technical training to one member of the family, she said. Giving details about relaxation of BISP conditions, she said the Board of Directors has agreed to relax its conditions regarding difference in addresses at National Identity Cards (NICs) and BISP forms and account holders.  Over 500,000 faulty applications received under BISP will be reprocessed, which aim at providing maximum assistance to the deserving families after complete verification.

The applications of 5,25,221 families were delayed due to difference in addresses at their National Identity Cards and BISP forms along with those who have accounts in any bank of the country, but after complete investigation, the difference was found in addresses of many families due to their movement from one place to the other in search of livelihood.

Those people were identified who just opened their accounts in banks to get funds from Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal or pension purpose which does not mean that they are economically stable. However, the proposal to relax condition for passport holder is also under consideration and Nadra has been asked to provide a list of those people who have passport but never had got chance to travel abroad.